Current methods of fighting wildland and interface fires from the ground leave a significant gap in options available to fire fighters. On the low end of the gap, only fire fighters on foot are available. This option, by its nature, restricts fire fighting effectiveness to the limits of what individuals can accomplish without the benefit of mechanized aid. Personnel on foot are limited in distances they can travel and fire fighting equipment that can be carried to places where they are needed. Additionally, crews are essentially restricted to clearing fire lanes or setting "back" fires in an attempt to contain the fire. Either of these methods require surrendering significant amounts of area to the fire in order to provide enough time to make the fire break.
In general, there are major problems associated with fire fighting by personnel afoot. First, there is a very slow response time by such personnel. It often takes a great deal of time to reach the trouble area by foot. The safety of the personnel is an important concern. When such personnel are on foot, they are relatively unprotected and are often unable to leave the danger area promptly. The only fire fighting equipment that is available to such personnel afoot is fire fighting equipment that can be carried by the personnel. It is difficult to resupply the personnel in such inaccessible areas. In order to effectively fight the fire, a very high level of manpower is required. When the personnel are afoot, there is no structure to protect the personnel.
At the high end of the gap is the use of conventional pumper type vehicles which carry water, hoses, and pumps for fire fighting. The smallest of these vehicles use Ford Ranger size four wheel drive chassis equipped with tanks, pumps, and standard structure fire fighting equipment. These units are limited to a maximum of about 120 gallons of water onboard and require two persons to operate. Although the vehicles are off-road capable, they are relatively restricted in the area they can readily access. In rougher terrains, the vehicle speeds are greatly reduced and they are too large to enter much of the wildland growth density. Another problem is that the vehicle must (or should) be stopped When pumping water. Few of these vehicles are equipped to dispense foam. Those that do have foam capabilities are field retrofitted by whomever and perform with dubious, inconsistent results. Obviously, larger pumpers are almost entirely relegated to improved roads, require more personnel to operate, and cannot enter unknown small roads for fear of inability to turn around and exit the area. Application for this type of equipment is principally for fire fighting structure fires in relatively accessible areas with ample water supplies.
In the past, various U.S. patents have issued relating to fire fighting equipment which is supported on a mobile vehicle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,855, issued on Jun. 10, 1986, to R. W. Forsyth describes a vehicle-mountable fire fighting apparatus which is designed to be quickly and easily mounted into an ordinary pickup truck. The fire fighting module includes a pump coupled to an engine for pumping a fire-retardant liquid. A reservoir tank is fluidically connected to the pump. The pumping equipment is positioned in the truck within the reach of the operator of the vehicle. An over-the-cab hose is detachably coupled onto a spray bar mounted onto the front of the truck.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,769, issued on Sep. 29, 1981, to E. Muller teaches a foam dispensing extinguishing unit for a rescue vehicle. This foam dispenser includes a container that contains a liquid adapted to be used for foam production. A device is connected to the container that feeds the fire extinguishing liquid, under pressure, from the container to a hand-held foam generating nozzle. A motor-driven pump or an air pressure device is coupled to the container so as to allow for the dispensing of the extinguishing liquid under pressure. Suitable valves and mechanisms are provided so as to allow the foam to be mixed with water so as to control the type of extinguishing liquid that is used. The unit is mounted in the back of a rescue vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,603, issued on Dec. 18, 1984, to Schmittmann et al. provides a compact foam dispensing fire fighting vehicle. This fire fighting vehicle includes a tank of water, a pump, and a spray nozzle. The vehicle is battery operated by the operator or by an electronic remote control device provided on the chassis. The device is described as being small enough to pass through normal a door opening so that it can enter a residence or a business.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,246,616, issued on Jun 24, 1941, to C. L. Cherry provides a truck which is designed to fight fires in a forest. This vehicle employs a plurality of axles that allow the vehicle to travel on varied terrain. This fire fighting vehicle includes its own supply of water, a pump, and a hose that is available for use in the extinguishing of the fire.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,074, issued on Oct. 8, 1974, to L. S. Clark teaches a fire fighting vehicle with multiple tanks designed to hold the ingredients for the production of foam.